The minimum hourly wage should not be viewed by Surinamese people as a paycheck that can be used for anything, according to Minister Steven Mac Andrew of Labour, Employment, and Youth Affairs. The Surinamese poverty limit would be revised, the minister said. The current poverty threshold is SRD 6000. According to the minister, the minimum wage essentially serves as a social floor below which no one should be paid. The minimum pay per hour says nothing about whether or not a person can make ends meet. The minimum hourly wage merely establishes a floor in terms of compensation, therefore we must keep an eye on it.
According to Mac Andrew, one cannot pay less than the legally mandated minimum hourly rate. Of course, the satisfaction of the Surinamese with the earnings received must be assessed. The government must consider whether additional social initiatives are required in the framework of reducing poverty and enhancing living conditions in order to guarantee that people can still lead respectable lives in spite of the crisis. The government council is debating whether to increase the purchasing power boost, but no decisions have yet been made.
